Orpheus
by happycabbage
Summary: Legolas' lament was full of such magic that it could break even the hearts of the Valar. Oneshot, slash, character death


Author's Note: This will contain male/male pairings, violence, and character death. Please don't read it if any of that bothers you.

Disclaimers: All characters and places form The Lord of the Rings are property of J.R.. This story takes place after the end of the Return of the King, and follows the events from the books rather than the movies.

This fic is a Lord of the Rings adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus. You do not have to be familiar with it to understand the story. The version I used to write this is from D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire. I did change a very few things to make it fit better, and added a little detail (okay – a lot of detail!) that wasn't included in D'Aulaires', but the basic storyline is the same.

The information on the Valar, Valinor, and the Halls of Mandos was gathered from The Encyclopedia of Arda, online at . However, I did take some liberty with describing the Halls of Mandos, since there was no physical description anywhere that I could find.

The Elvish translations I got from

The song at the end belongs to the amazing band _Snow Patrol_.

Genre: Romance, angst, drama, spiritual, supernatural, fantasy, action/adventure, poetry…you know, I actually think it fits all the categories except for mystery and humour.

This baby is my first (serious) purely Lord of the Rings fanfic, and I really hope you like this sucker, because it took freaking forever to finally get it right. It was orginally only about twelve pages, and I had it finished in a single day. But then my brother read it and said it needed more detail. Thus it turning into a thirty page, month-long monster piece of work. 0_o You better like it, or I will be pretty pissed.

* * *

Legolas smiled as he looked out his window at the sunlit meadows. It was spring in the realm of Ithilien, and he was very happy on this day. For today was when he would finally be bonded to his beloved. He began to sing softly in Sindarin under his breath as he pulled on his wedding robes.

They were made of dark blue velvet, trimmed with silver. Under them he wore grey leggings and a light blue silk tunic, with a light design of lilys spreading across his chest and shoulders. The sleeves flared out at the wrists, and the robes swept the floor gracefully when he walked. His hair was pulled back and tied at the base of his neck with a light blue cord that matched his tunic, save for a few strands framing his face. A simple silver circlet atop his head completed the outfit.

A knock came at the doorway, and as Legolas turned around to face the door, it opened before he could grant permission. He did not mind, though. Nothing could spoil this day for him.

Aragorn and Gimli entered the Elf's rooms, Faramir following close behind. The Dwarf and Men stopped short at the sight of him, and he smiled and laughed merrily at their expressions.

"Legolas, mellon-nin…" Aragorn began, but he could find no words to say.

"You look amazing, Legolas," Faramir said warmly, embracing his friend. After working in Ithilien for the past several years since the fall of Sauron, the two had become fast friends.

"Hannon le, Faramir," the Elf thanked him. He laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. "I feel amazing, but nervous, as well, I find. I knew not that this day would invoke so many conflicting emotions in me." _*Thank you, Faramir_

"You clean up well, Elf," Gimli said gruffly, "Your lover-boy'll be speechless when he sees you. Congratulations, lad."

"Thank you Gimli. That means a lot to me, especially coming from you," Legolas said, his eyes dancing.

"Come my friend," Aragorn said, putting a hand on Legolas' arm to lead him over to the door. "It is time, and Haldir is waiting for you."

* * *

The bonding ceremony was held in a quiet glade not far from the Edan and Elf colony of Ithilien. It was a fairly small gathering, especially if you took into consideration that one of the couple to be married was of Royal blood.

The remaining members of the Fellowship, including Aragorn, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, and Sam were all there, as was Legolas' father and some of his friends from Mirkwood. The Lady Arwen was present, and Haldir's brothers, Rumil and Orophin, and many of his friends from Lothlorien. Faramir and Eowyn, and several of the Ithilien colonists were there. Eomer of Rohan was there, and the twin sons of Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir, came as well.

Thranduil, as one of the few Kings of the Elves remaining in Middle-earth, was to perform the ceremony, and Aragorn, Faramir, and Gimli had agreed to stand with Legolas and participate in the Ritual.

Aragorn walked Legolas to the edge of the glade and stood next to his chldhood friend. Faramir came to stand on the Elf's other side while Gimli went to take his own place. Legolas caught sight of his husband-to-be across the glade, standing regally in between his brothers. Haldir looked magnificent, wearing the same sort of robes as Legolas, save for that his were in two shades of red rather than blue. Their eyes met, and they smiled at one another.

The guests fell silent and took their places in a circle around the edge of the glade, with Thranduil in the center. Haldir was on one side of the circle, and Legolas stood opposite him at the other end of the glade. The ceremony was beginning.

Aragorn took Legolas by the hand and led him to meet Thranduil in the center of the circle, while Haldir's brother Orophin did the same opposite them with Haldir. The four met in the center of the circle in front of Thranduil.

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Thranuduil spoke, using the common tongue so that all there could understand.

"Who hast come here on this day to be bonded to their beloved?" he said gravely.

"I have, my leige." Haldir answered.

"And who hast come here on this day to accept this bond of matrimony?"

"I have, my leige," replied Legolas.

"Step forward, and meet thy love before me now, and I shall bind thee from now until the end of eternity."

Legolas and Haldir then stepped closer to one another while Aragorn and Orophin stepped back. The two lovers faced one another and each put up their hands, touching them together palm to palm, with their fingers spread.

"As I speak these binding words, so shall ye clasp thy hands together, so shall thy souls be woven together, joined for all eternity. What say you?"

"Aye," the two Elves said together.

When Thranduil began to say the words, one finger would lower for each line of the ritual, thus intertwining their fingers and locking their hands together, symbolizing the binding of their souls and hearts.

Thranduil nodded to acknowlege their agreement, and began to speak the ancient words of the Elven binding ritual.

"One for faith," he paused, and Legolas and Haldir each lowered one finger on one of set of hands, repeating the motion with each line that followed.

"One for prosperity,

one for sanctuary,

one for trust,

and one for honesty,"

Legolas' left and Haldir's right hands were now intertwined. The second verse started on the other hands.

"One for happiness,

one for family,

one for friendship,

one for equality – "

Here Thranduil paused and smiled at the two, before saying the last line.

" – and one for love."

Their hands now locked together, Legolas and Haldir had eyes only for each other. Legolas almost didn't notice when Faramir, Rumil, and Gimli stepped forward, ready for their part in the ceremony.

Faramir came to stand on Legolas' right side, while Rumil did the same for Haldir, so that they stood on either side of the two bonding Elves. Then Gimli stepped forward, bringing forward a pair of slender chains, wrought of mithril, with chips of precious gems woven into them. They lay on a velvety cushion in his hands. He brought them to Thranduil, who then took them and gave one to Faramir and one to Rumil.

The Man and Elf took the chains, and they bound Legolas and Haldir's wrists together with them, one chain around the wrists of each set of their joined hands.

"Thou art now bound together as one. Thou shalt love one another, cherish one another, help one another, and protect one another, from this moment forward, for all of eternity. So it is now, so it shall be forever more. Blesséd be."

Rumil, Orophin, Aragorn, Faramir, and Gimli repeated the last two words after Thranduil. This was quickly echoed by the ring of spectators giving their blessing upon the pair as well.

Legolas and Haldir lowered their hands, but did not let go of one another or unclasp their hands as they leaned in and sealed their marriage with a single kiss. Then the ceremony was finished, and Legolas and Haldir were wed.

The crowd of people applauded and cheered as Aragorn and Orophin set about undoing the chains that bound the two Elves together, which were then looped around the right wrist of each of the bonded pair, forming a matching set of bracelets. These bonding bracelets were to be worn at all times, so as to mark them as being bonded.

Some of the Elven guests then brought forth instruments and began to start playing some music in celebration of the occasion. Legolas and Haldir led the first dance. Everyone watched them, smiling, for a moment before joining in.

The party lasted long after the ceremony, the guests laughing and singing and making merry, and Legolas and Haldir were congratulated many times over the course of the reception.

However, the highlight of the celebration was when Legolas began to sing, for none in the land of Middle-earth had ever heard a voice more lovely than that of Legolas Thranduilion.

Through his life he was sought out by many, all just to hear a song from his lips. People of all ages and races would sit silent by him when he sang, spellbound by his beautiful voice. To have heard the youngest prince of Mirkwood sing was considered almost a precious gift.

The Elves' friends and families listened with admiration as Legolas voiced his love to the heavens in song. Haldir danced before them on the wildflower fields of Ithilien, as much care and devotion in his steps as Legolas bore in his notes. Legolas and Haldir's eyes were locked on each other, and the lovers smiled at one another as they celebrated their bonding. The rest of the world seemed to fade away, and for Legolas it was as though no one else was there but for him and Haldir.

He sang in his native Sindarin, yet no one needed to ask for a translation, for Legolas' voice touched them in such a way that all could understand his meaning whether they spoke the language or not.

"_Come now, my love, my dear_

_And we shall see to the rest of the world tomorrow._

_Let us not worry what others may do or say_

_For all I need is you_

_The music of your voice_

_The light of your eyes_

_The warmth of your smile _

_The feel of your lips on my own in a kiss_

_Is all I could ever want_

_In this whole wide world of ours_

_In which you and I are the only ones who exist_

_Sitting under the sun with you_

_I can hear the trees sing joyously along_

_As I give you this gift_

_My song_

_To my dear one, my love_

But fate works in mysterious ways, for even as the newly married pair danced and sang together, their time was doomed to be short.

Legolas' eyes widened in horror and fear as he watched his lover collapse with an arrow in his chest, and the notes died on his lips as he leapt to Haldir's side. He hardly noticed the other orc arrows falling amongst them.

Luckily, even during this reign of relative peace, people never went far without a weapon, as there were still orc bands running free across the lands. Those amongst the guests who were armed immediately leapt to the fray and fought off the orcs that had decided to ambush the merrymakers. Aragorn, Elladan, Elrohir, Eomer, Faramir, Gimli, Rumil, and Orophin positioned themselves between the orcs and the newlywed couple, ready to defend the unarmed Elves. The Halflings threw themselves down next to their friend, trying to find out if he was injured as well.

Legolas, however, saw nothing of this.

He was more preoccupied with the fact that his husband had just been dealt a fatal wound.

He drew his love into his lap, holding the Elf close. Legolas felt tears gathering and falling from his eyes as Haldir choked on the blood pooling in his lungs. He coughed, and blood spattered Legolas' magnificent robes. The Elf took no notice, his eyes fixed on his new husband's grievous wound.

"Healer. We need a Healer!" he called desperately over his shoulder, even though he knew it was probably too late. _No, no! I can't lose him now! I can't! Haldir, oh Valar, please, no!_

"Haldir?" he called softly, fearfully.

Haldir coughed slightly and opened his eyes, drinking in the sight of his lover.

"You're not hurt, meleth-nin?" he asked weakly, and Legolas shook his head, tears trembling at the ends of his lashes. _*my love?_

"Law, Haldir, im maer." *_No, Haldir, I'm well._

Haldir smiled. "I'm glad," he whispered. He coughed again, blood dribbling down his chin. Legolas wiped it away with the hem of his sleeve, his hands trembling. He reached for Haldir's hand and grasped it tightly in his own.

The skirmish ended as the last of the orcs were run off or killed. Aragorn, Gimli, and the others joined the Hobbits near Legolas, who sat holding his husband. Like Legolas, they knew it was too late to save the Lorien Elf, and they held back the panicked mob of guests, giving Legolas and Haldir this last moment together. Tears gathered in their eyes as the watched Haldir speak his last words to his love and

draw his last shuddering breaths.

"Goheno nin, Legolas," he gasped out, "I fear I have ruined our wedding day…" _*Forgive me, Legolas._

"Law, law, Haldir! Hebo estel!" Legolas said, his lower lip trembling as his tears threatened to spill. _*No, no, Haldir! Have hope!_

Tears ran down Haldir's cheeks at the pain he saw in his lover's eyes, and he weakly raised a hand to cup Legolas' cheek. "Le melon, Legolas." _*I love you, Legolas._

Legolas put a hand up to grasp Haldir's and let out a sob. He leaned down, kissing Haldir on the lips. "Le melon, Haldir," he whispered as he pulled back slowly. "Please don't leave me, meleth-nin! Please!" _*I love you, Haldir_

The Marchwarden smiled sadly and shakily, and a tear rolled down his cheek as he took his last breath,

"Haldir! Law! LAW!" Legolas cried out in anguish, weeping as his love's eyes glazed over. Haldir's hand dropped, and his body went limp. He died in Legolas' arms. _*No! NO!_

* * *

Legolas refused to leave Haldir, keeping a constant vigil next to the body until well into the next day. When Aragorn and Gimli had finally managed to get him to let go, he had fled into the woods without a word, and no one had been able to find him.

The next time Legolas was seen was a few days later, at Haldir's funeral.

They had just finished burying him in a quiet meadow in Ithilien when Legolas appeared, looking haggard and distraught. The once-magnificent wedding robes were torn and spattered with mud and Haldir's blood. The silver circlet was missing, and his hair hung loose and disheveled around his face. His bare feet were scratched and dirty. But it was his eyes that scared his friends the most; they seemed hollow, empty. Dead.

When he appeared at the edge of the meadow, Aragorn and Gimli immediately rushed to his side.

"Where have you been, Legolas?" Aragorn asked quietly, but Legolas seemed not to see or hear them. His eyes were locked on Haldir's tomb. He spoke no word, nor looked at anyone, but walked slowly towards the fresh grave. The funeral attendees all stood back and let the heartbroken Elf pass without a word.

He stopped and stood before the mound of Earth, staring at the tombstone before dropping to his knees. His eyes, so empty before, devoid of any emotion, now seemed full to the brim with suppressed feelings.

Tears flowed freely down his face, and Legolas closed his glistening sapphire eyes and drew in a shuddering breath before beginning to sing a soft, mournful lament, the like of which had never been heard before by the people gathered there. The sound was so heartbreaking that the people found themselves weeping anew, though all remained silent so as to allow Legolas this last song for his love.

When the Elf had finished his lament, no one dared approach him. He slowly stood shakily, and turned around. His head bowed, he walked back towards the forest.

As he passed the Ranger, Aragorn reached out a hand and put it on Legolas shoulder, stopping him.

"Legolas…?" he called softly.

The Elf said nothing, and his face was hidden by his hair. Aragorn felt a tremor run through Legolas' shoulder before the Elf shrugged his hand off and fled once more into the woods of Ithilien.

"Legolas!" Thranduil called after his son, and he moved to follow.

"Wait, my lord," Aragorn said, throwing a hand up to stop the Elf king. "Give him some time to himself. Crowding him will not offer comfort, but rather stave it off. Legolas needs some time to be alone, so that he might find a way to deal with his loss. He will find solace in the trees for now."

Thranduil bit his lip, obviously wanting to chase after his child, but he nodded and sighed. "You are right, Aragorn. But if he does not return within a few hours we must find him."

* * *

Legolas did not return to the colony that night. His friends and the colonists sent out a search party to find him, and it wasn't until the next morning that they found any sign of him. It was Aragorn and Gimli who found him, curled up in a tree deep in the forest, apparently having cried himself to sleep. They had not the heart to wake him, so Aragorn remained at the bottom of the tree while Gimli went to find the others and tell them that the search was over. The Dwarf led Faramir and the rest of the remaining Fellowship back to the tree in which they had found Legolas, only to find the Elf sitting crosslegged at the base of the tree, Aragorn squatted down next to him.

The Ranger looked up, smiling wanly at them. "He won't speak to me," the Gondor King said.

Faramir strode forth and knelt by Legolas, putting his hands on the prince's shoulders. "Legolas? Come, my friend, talk to me,"

The Elf did not look up and he did not answer. Sighing, Faramir went to help Legolas stand. "Come, Legolas. We must return to the colony." The Elf stiffened and would not get up.

Aragorn moved to help Faramir, and they each took hold of one of Legolas arms and hauled him to his feet. Once standing, Legolas jerked out of their hands. Aragorn caught a brief glimpse of anger in the Elf's eyes before they softened again, becoming sad and lost-looking.

"Legolas?" he called, "Come, mellon-nin. Come home with us."

Legolas shook his head slowly and walked slowly away, weaving a little, as though he were drunk.

Aragorn watched his friend stagger away and sighed. "Faramir," he called, and the Gondor Ranger responded immediately. "What would you have me do, my lord?" he asked.

"I can not find it in my heart to force him to return to the colony," he said as he watched Legolas stagger off alone through the trees. "There are too many reminders of Haldir there. Let him stay in the woods and do as he will. Nature can be very healing for Elves." He paused, and Farmir nodded.

"However," the Gondor king continued, "I would like for you to arrange for a few of the colonists to follow him and make sure he does not come to harm. That includes self-harm," he said, turning to look directly into Faramir's eyes. The Gondor Ranger nodded and after glancing after the meandering Elf, started on his way back to the colony.

* * *

Legolas spent the monthes following Haldir's funeral in an almost catatonic state. During this time, he spoke no word, nor sang any note. He felt numb, trapped within his mind, within memories of his love, of times long since past. He no longer wished for light, or beauty, or music. He knew that his love was now within the Halls of Mandos. And it was killing him.

He refused to return to the colony, and all through the summer he remained in the woods, wandering aimlessly. The colonists took it in shifts, with pairs of them following the Elf at a respectable distance, watching over him and making certain he took food and drink, but for the most part leaving him alone.

It was now September. Legolas was walking through the woods of Ithilien, half in a dream. Everything seemed hazy, and the sounds of the forest were senseless noise to his ears. Legolas felt something cool and wet running over his toes, and he looked down at his bare feet dazedly. It was a stream…no – his eyes flicked up and he tried to focus his gaze – it was the Great River.

Legolas eyes dimmed and he fell to his knees upon the riverbank and trailed a hand through the waters of the Anduin. Haldir had loved the river.

He had loved to swim in it, splashing joyfully like a small child. He would tease Legolas until the other Elf joined him in the water, then usually proceeded to attempt to duck Legolas under the surface and goad him into races through the water. Haldir had especially loved to simply sit and listen to the running water. He had said that it sang as a background choir, joining Legolas in song and making his voice even more beautiful.

'_Haldir…' _Legolas sighed and looked up from the water to the sky, holding his bonding bracelet loosely in his hands as he thought about his late husband. Haldir had adored Legolas' voice, and had told him so on many occasions. Legolas had told his love once that, no matter how much anybody begged, he would only ever sing for him.

Suddenly a thought struck him.

'_Mayhap the Valar might be as moved by my songs, as so many others have been, that they might grant me back my love.'_

This thought, as farfetched as it was, brought to Legolas something more precious than any comfort his friends had been able to offer him.

It brought on hope.

The thought sparked a fire in Legolas, a flaming desire and hope that he might see his love once more. Legolas seemed to wake then, from this nightmare that had begun with a well-aimed orc arrow. He came back to himself, and he looked down at the waters of the Anduim as if seeing the Great River for the first time in his life, his mind racing and a manic gleam in his eyes.

The Halls of Mandos were positioned in the West of Valinor, he knew. He could get to Valinor by boat, and from there he could walk or ride the rest of the way. He knew not if the Valar would allow him to return to Middle-earth after finding Haldir. Returning to Middle-earth after sailing to Valinor was unheard of. He wasn't certain they would allow it.

But if it meant having Haldir back, he would give up his home and everything he had ever known in a heartbeat. At least they would be together again.

Quickly, Legolas stood and began to return to the colony. His guards chased after him, slightly confused. After all this time, why was he so suddenly becoming more lively?

When he appeared at the gates with renewed vigor in his steps and a light in his eyes, which had been dull and unfocused since Haldir's death, the guards at the gate, too, were startled by the difference.

Once he had rushed in the gate and headed quickly to his room, one of the colonists that had been assigned bodyguard duty for the Elf that week swiftly ran and informed Eowyn and Faramir of the sudden change in the Elf. The pair had immediately ran to find their friend.

They found Legolas in his room, sitting at his desk with his back to them. At first it seemed nothing had changed in the Elf after all, aside from th fact that he had returned to the colony. Then Eowyn and Faramir noticed that the Elf was doing something he had not done in a long, long while.

He was humming.

They stared at him, then glanced at each other incredulously. Had Legolas finally begun to recover? Or had he slipped into madness?

Slowly, they entered the room and walked over to the Elf. He had several large tomes strewn across the desk, and he was hurriedly writing something down on a roll of parchment. Every few moments he would refer to one of the books, occasionally turning a page or two.

"Legolas?" Faramir called softly, putting a hand on the Elf's shoulder.

Rather than it taking several moments for it to register that someone was speaking to him, as it had been for the past several monthes, Legolas immediately looked up at his friend. Faramir was startled; the Elf's eyes were clearer than they had been in monthes, and they had a strange glint to them.

It was a moment before Faramir recognized it as hope lighting the Elf's eyes.

The real shocker for the Gondor Ranger, however, was when Legolas opened his mouth and spoke for the first time since his ill-fated wedding day.

"Hello, Faramir," Legolas said, his words slightly slurred and his voice hoarse from the monthes of disuse. Legolas gave his friend the tiniest of smiles before turning back to his work, singing softly in Sindarin.

Legolas' newfound hope had returned his voice to him.

* * *

Faramir quickly had word sent to their other friends that Legolas seemed to have finally snapped out of his near-catatonia, and had reappeared at the colony of his own will. Those who were able to quickly made their way to the Ithilien colony. Within a few weeks, Gimli, Arwen, Aragorn, and Thranduil had arrived, eager to see Legolas and speak with him, if he would welcome such things.

Arwen and Aragorn, despite being closest to Ithilien, were the last to arrive, having had difficulties extricating themselves from Minas Tirith for a while. When they finally got to Ithilien, they found Gimli, Thranduil, Eowyn, and Faramir in the parlour of the main house. The Elf was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Legolas?" Aragorn asked, eager to see his friend.

"He's in his old room," Eowyn answered. "He had said he'd be out in a few minutes, but that was nearly a half an hour ago." She rose from her seat. "I'll go and fetch him."

"No, no," Aragorn said, "You sit, Eowyn. I'll go."

She nodded in aquiescense and sat back down. "As you wish, my lord," she said humbly.

Aragorn smiled. "There is no need for such formalities, my Lady Eowyn," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "I could say the same of you, Aragorn," she said, smiling.

The King grinned, while Arwen went to sit next to the other woman. Aragorn flashed another grin at all of them before hurrying away to Legolas' chambers.

When he got there, the door was slightly open. The Ranger soundlessly pushed it open further and stuck his head just inside the doorway. He saw Legolas sitting at his desk, scribbling furiously across a sheet of parchment that had some sort of diagram on it. He knocked on the doorframe quietly. Legolas started and twisted around in his seat to look at Aragorn.

"Mae govannen, Legolas," Aragorn said with a smile. "May I come in, mellon-nin?" _*Well met, Legolas _

Legolas gave him a sort of half smile and turned back to the desk. "Please come in, Aragorn," he said quietly as he wrote something down on the diagram, glancing over at one of the large books.

Aragorn entered the chamber slowly, looking around at the wreck of a room in surprise. He supposed it was what one (i.e. Legolas) might call organized chaos, with books and papers spread out over every available surface, including the floor and even the bed. He, however, called it a mess.

He squatted down next to a particularly large stack of papers. The paper on top had a labeled diagram on it, showing a strange building plan of some sort. It wasn't any sort of building he recognized, or perhaps was it something else?

"Legolas? What's all this?" He asked, reaching out a hand to pick up the diagram.

Legolas turned around just in time to call out in a panicked tone to his old friend. "NO! Don't touch it!"

Aragorn snapped his hand back from the paper with a start.

Legolas let out a sigh. "Forgive me, Aragorn. I did not mean to yell at you. Just – please don't touch anything. I have everything organized just so – I don't want them all getting mixed up," he said, waving a hand at the mess on the floor.

Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "It seems thoroughly mixed up already, to me," he said dubiously.

Legolas frowned and looked over all the papers thoughtfully before shaking his head. "No, they're all carefully organized. Please, just don't touch any of my work, mellon-nin."

Aragorn raised the other eyebrow. "And what exactly is it you're working on, Legolas?" he asked.

The Elf paused before answering cryptically, "A hunting trip." Aragorn snorted.

"I'm sure, mellon-nin. You do know that Eowyn had called for you to come into the parlour almost forty-five minutes ago? And Arwen, Gimli, Eowyn, Faramir, and your father are all sitting out there waiting for you?" he said, smiling slightly at the Elf.

Legolas blinked. "Really? I suppose I must have lost track of time…" he murmured and glanced down at all the papers all over his chambers. Aragorn's brow furrowed.

Legolas was certainly more alive than he had been all summer, and he _was_ talking again, but he seemed to have switched out his mental and emotional disinterest in the world for physical exhaustion.

His eyes had dark circles under them, and his dissheveled hair had been hastily pulled back, half of it spilling out of the leather tye. He was painfully thin, like he had not eaten very well of late, and his clothes were rumpled, as though he had slept in them.

Overall, the Elf looked terrible.

'_But at least he is speaking again'_ Aragorn thought to himself as he eyed his friend critically. _'Perhaps he is finally starting to heal.'_

He glanced around the rest of the room. His eyes fell on a vase on the bedside table. It stood on perhaps the only flat surface in the entire room that was not covered with stacks of paper. The vase held a single white lily, Aragorn had noted with a pang. Lilies were both Haldir and Legolas' favorite flowers.

"Come, Legolas" he said then, drawing his attention away from the flower, "Let us go and join the others."

"Alright, mellon-nin," Legolas said, laying down his quill and looking up from his work to his old friend. The Elf rose from his seat and picked his way across the floor, being careful not to step on any of the papers or books scattered everywhere.

He joined Aragorn at the door and the pair started to walk down the hall toward the parlour, where their friends were waiting.

As they walked, Aragorn was pleased to hear his friend singing softly under his breath. Legolas had loved to sing before Haldir was killed. This was yet another sign his friend's heart may be on the mend, Aragorn thought.

That is, until he realized that Legolas was singing of the sea.

* * *

After a few weeks of staying shut up in his room all day and night, Legolas started wandering off into the forest again, and Aragorn's suspicions about Legolas' 'work' grew. However, most of the Elf's friends could not figure out what Legolas' behavior meant. The Elf would disappear all day, then stay up late into the night, working on different diagrams and other strange outlines, looking at Elvish maps of lands they had never seen before, and reading books. But, since Legolas returned every night to the colony in time for supper, Faramir decided that the bodyguards that had previously been required to protect the wayward Elf were no longer nessecary.

Aragorn was quite anxious about his old friend's odd behavior, and finally he could take it no longer. He followed on Hasufel as Legolas left in the early light of dawn and rode out on Arod into the forest.

Legolas was so focused on his task that he did not even realize he was being followed. This was also slightly disconcerting to Aragorn. Normally, before Haldir's death, at least, Legolas was very attentive to his surroundings, noticing immediately when he was being followed or sneaked up on. The Ranger had hoped that with Legolas' apparent recovery he might have slipped back into all of his old habits.

Just the same, to be certain he wasn't noticed, Aragorn trailed after Legolas on Hasufel from as large a distance as he could manage without losing the Elf. Aragorn followed him all the way to a small hidden glade on the riverbank. He tied Hasufel up far off from the glade and crept close to it as quietly as he could. What he found in the little glade dismayed him.

Legolas was sitting on an old dead treestump on the riverbank; a long board cut from a tree trunk was laying across his lap. He was singing in Sindarin as he shaped the wood carefully. Behind him was a large, mostly finished structure, and some of the diagrams and blueprints that Legolas had been seen working on lay on a fallen tree a few feet from the stump the Elf sat on, weighed down with a few rocks to keep from blowing away on the wind.

Aragorn felt his heart ache as his suspicions were confirmed. He quickly returned to his horse and rode back to the colony as fast as Hasufel could go.

He quickly made it back and entered the main house, hurrying to Faramir's room, where he found the Man playing a card game with Gimli.

"Legolas is leaving," the Ranger blurted out the moment he entered the room. The two threw down their cards and stood.

"Are you serious, Aragorn?" Faramir said in a hushed voice. Gimli's eyes bored into Aragorn's, begging for him to be playing a trick on them.

"I followed him when he left this morning," Aragorn said, striding across the room to his two friends. "He's building a boat roughly three miles downstream in a little glade next to the river. Legolas is going to leave for Valinor."

* * *

Legolas woke and rose quietly from his bed. He stretched, a half crazed smile on his face. Finally, after a few monthes of planning and building, he was finished. The craft was ready, all set for traveling across the ocean. He had loaded up all his supplies yesterday, and then returned to the Ithilien colony for a nights rest before leaving. Soon he would be reunited with his beloved.

Quietly, so as not to wake his friends sleeping in their rooms down the hall, he dressed and gathered a few last minute items. Then he made his way down to the stables.

He stood inside Arod's stall for a few moments, petting the horse's muzzle with gentle hands, smiling sadly.

"I cannot take you with me, mellon-nin," he said, "But I need you to take me to the boat. Can you do that for me, Arod?"

The horse snorted softly, and tossed his head. Legolas smiled and pulled himself onto the horses bare back. He leaned forward, stroking the animals neck.

"Noro lim, Arod," he whispered, and the horse immediately ran out the open stall and stable doors and ran like the wind down to the river, and the glade where Legolas' boat was waiting. _*Ride on, Arod_

* * *

Aragorn woke to the shouts of several men and Elves from outside. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he dressed and went to see what all the fuss was about. He was met in the hall by a frantic Faramir.

"Aragorn, I had just been coming to meet you. We can't find Legolas anywhere."

Aragorn froze, staring at the Ranger and Faramir quickly continued. "Arod came into the yard about a half an hour ago, without a rider. Legolas is not in his rooms and we can find no trace of him. He has vanished."

Aragorn immediately ran for the courtyard, where he found several Men and Elves standing around, some of them pacing back and forth nervously, while others were talking amongst themselves. Two Men stood in the middle of the yard, trying and failing to calm Arod. The horse's eyes were rolling in their sockets, and he quite suddenly reared onto his hind legs, wrenching the tethers that bound him out of the hands of the two Men.

Aragorn rushed to the horse's side and took hold of the ropes, pulling with all his weight to bring Arod back down. The horse's front hooves slammed back down onto the ground, and Aragorn let go of the tethers and instead took hold of the steed's head, whispering in the horses ear in Elvish.

When Legolas' horse was calm, Aragorn untied the ropes, letting them drop to the ground, then quickly pulled himself up onto the beast's back. He leaned low over Arod's back and whispered to him in Elvish. The horse quickly left the courtyard with Aragorn on his back.

Faramir watched the king leave and then went to break up the queue of Men and Elves that had accumulated in the yard, sending them back to their duties and activities. That done, he sat down on a stone bench to await Aragorn's return.

Roughly an hour later, Aragorn rode back into the yard, slowly this time, rather than the mad dash he had made to leave. He dismounted, and a pair of stableboys came and led Arod back to the stables, where a nice grooming and some feed and water was awaiting the horse.

Aragorn himself trudged over to the bench. As he approached, Faramir stood and bowed before his king, but Aragorn waved it away. The Gondor Ranger remained standing, however, while Aragorn sat on the bench. The King did not move for a moment, but then bowed his head and heaved a sigh.

"Legolas' boat is gone," he informed his captain without looking up.

* * *

When the unknown craft landed on the shores of the Undying Lands, many Elves were gathered there to meet the lone sailor. There was something different about this Elf, they sensed. He had felt the Sea-calling, yes, but that was not why he had come. He had not crossed to find peace in Valinor. He was here for something else, but none of the Elves could tell what.

It was an overcast day, and a slight breeze swept over the long beach where the Elves were gathered to wait for the ship to arrive. The long stalks of grass bent and swayed in the wind, poking up out of the sand on the dunes further back from the water. They could see the boat drawing close to land.

It was a small craft, suitable for only one or two sailors, rather than one of the larger commute ships from the Havens. Those massive grey ships could bear large numbers of their kin home to Valinor. This one was miniscule in comparison. It was simply made and obviously of Elvish make, but crude by the manner of their people; it was built skillfully, but without the pride or artistry that the Elves usually employed in all their works, bearing no decoration and only the barest minimum of nessecary structure. It was made purely for it's purpose, strictly following an apparent non-frivolity rule.

The Ring-bearers in particular were perplexed by the Elf they had sensed coming. They could tell it was an Elf familiar to them as well, which confused and worried them all the more, though they could not determine exactly who it could be. They all wished to meet him when he arrived, and so all three Ring-bearers were present on the day the new arrival finally made it. Elrond, bearer of Vilya, Galadriel, bearer of Nenya, and Mithrandir, bearer of Narya; all three were present. With them stood Frodo Baggins, as well as Elrond's wife Celebrian, and Galadriel's husband Celeborn.

But even the bearers of the Elven rings of power had not expected for it to be Legolas.

When he drew his boat up on the beach and turned to approach the welcoming Elves, the Ring-bearers had been just as, if not more, surprised than any of the other Elves gathered there. Of all the Elves still in Middle-earth that could have sailed, they had least expected to see the prince of Mirkwood.

Lord Elrond's mind raced. Legolas was too close to his mortal friends to have left while they still lived; therefore, if he had come than someone must have died. Fear made his heart flutter. Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen, Estel…all his children still dwelt in Middle-earth, and he'd had no knowledge of them since he sailed with Galadriel, Mithrandir, and the Hobbit Ring-bearers.

'_Oh no,'_ Elrond thought to himself as he eyed the younger Elf's weary-looking face, _'What has happened in Middle-earth since we left, that Legolas would sail to the Undying Lands? What evil has befallen him, that he would still not find peace in paradise?'_

Legolas trudged up the sandy slope of the beach from his craft, his head bowed. Frodo had started to run to greet his friend, but a hand from Mithrandir stayed his action, and he watched with the others as Legolas moved slowly towards them.

The elf stopped and stood before the silent Elves before lifting his head to look at Elrond. The older Elf nearly gasped. Legolas' eyes…they burned as though with a fever, and were full of heartbreak and sorrow.

"Legolas, mellon-nin," he said softly, "what has happened?"

Legolas did not move, nor did he respond. His eyes drifted slowly over the other Elves before landing on the Lady Galadriel. Their eyes locked, and the other Ring-bearers waited as Galadriel mind-spoke to him. They looked back and forth between the two, watching the changing emotions on the two Elves' faces.

After a few long moments, Galadriel blinked and stepped back, a sad smile on her face. "Go to him," she said, and Legolas smiled briefly and passed her. The group of Elves and other welcoming people fell silent and parted as he passed. Legolas paid no heed to those surrounding him, forsaking his welcoming kin. Legolas saw nothing but the ground beneath his feet as he started his journey across Valinor.

Back on the beach, the Elves and Ring-bearers watched him go. Then finally Mithrandir spoke to Galadriel.

"Why has Legolas come? What has happened?"

The Elf-queen smiled sadly, looking down at the ground as she answered.

"The Prince of Mirkwood goes to the Halls of Mandos, to seek that which he lost. He will not be stopped, and he will not give up hope that he might see his beloved again. Haldir of Lorien passed on from the realm of the living this past spring."

The Elves surrounding him gasped at this. One of their own had died. Their moods went from confusion to sorrow.

Elrond looked after the departing figure. "No roads lead to where he would go. He has chosen a dangerous mission, risking the wrath of Mandos himself. I fear for him, but mayhap it would be even crueller to keep him from his mission. Legolas Thranduillion does not love lightly."

The other Ring-bearers nodded and watched Legolas in silence, as the Elves surrounding them struck up a lament for the fallen Marchwarden.

* * *

Legolas could hear their song drifting over to him as he left the Undying Lands. Though he knew they meant well, anger burned in his heart. Haldir was _his_ love. No other should sing for him, and he was _not_ lost! How dare they condemn him to death without trying to save him! It was as though they wished Haldir dead! So how dare they sing for Haldir? How _dare_ they?

Well, _he_ would not give up hope. He would find and reclaim his love. He swore it. Legolas tossed back his hair and began his own song as he walked. He sang for love, for hope.

Legolas walked for many long hours through to the West of Valinor, singing of his great love for Haldir and of how he would do anything for the Marchwarden to be returned to him.

Deep in Western Valinor, Legolas found the Halls of Mandos. They were large, and carved of cold white stone, a place truly made for the dead. The Halls of Waiting were as gloomy as their name suggested.

Legolas fell silent as he approached. The entire Hall seemed to emanate cold. He walked tentatively up the marble steps to the doors. They were large, tall and forbidding, carved of a dark wood that the Elf did not recognize. He put up a hand to touch the doors and recoiled slightly. Even the wood was as cold as ice, and the doors refused to open for him. There was no doorknob. The doors simply opened to those who were meant to be here.

Legolas laid his hand on the door, listening intently. No sound came from inside, and there was no noise from the lands surrounding it for miles. The silence was quite eerie and disconcerting for the Elf. He lowered his hand, and stepped back a few paces. Then his lips parted as he lifted his voice in song once more.

The magic of Legolas' voice was so powerfully heartbreaking that the cold wood doors opened silently, accepting his entrance and remaining open for his return. A cool mist poured out the now-open doors. Legolas smiled sadly in gratitude, but did not cease his song. Then, still singing, Legolas did the unthinkable for any living creature upon Arda, and entered the Halls.

They were cold, colder than he had expected them to be. The dead and departed souls of Men and Elves drifted past. All of them were shimmering grey, translucent, and as cold as their surroundings. When Legolas had entered the Halls all motion had stilled, and the spirits stared at this living being that had entered their midst. It had been so long since they had seen a still-living soul that he seemed the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.

Legolas strode forth without fear into the Halls, still singing of his great love for his departed husband. The souls of the dead, men and Elves, surrounded him in awe at this courageous, tormented, soul. Here was one whose love was so great that rather than succumbing to grief himself, he would instead seek to confront the Valar themselves. The flittering ghosts' whisperings were silenced as they listened, weeping, to his lament.

One departed soul, a tall man of Gondor with dark hair and fine clothing, glided forward from the group to meet the Elf as the song he was currently singing came to a close.

"Legolas," said Boromir after the last notes of the song had faded, "What are you doing here? You are not dead; you do not belong here in this place."

Legolas lifted his head, his eyes watching the dead man's face from behind a curtain of unkempt blonde hair, hanging limp and loose around his face. "Boromir. It is good to see you again, my friend," he said, sounding anything but happy. "I come to find that which was taken from me."

Boromir said nothing, but watched the Elf prince sadly. Legolas' eyes flicked away from the Steward's son and searched the crowd of departed souls.

Legolas' eyes locked on a lone figure sitting at the end of the hall, tall and forbidding, and _alive._ The Elf strode forward as if possessed, never looking away from his target soul. A new song began to bubble forth from his lips, sad and slow and haunting. The dead souls, like so many others before them, parted before him, silently letting him pass.

He stopped before the person at the end of the hall and ended his song, bowing low before the Valar.

"Le suilon, Námo," he murmured. _*I greet thee, Námo_

The Valar looked down at him, smiling slightly as though amused. The only sign that the music had touched his heart was a lone tear that rolled down his cheek.

"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion." He said regally. _*Well met, Legolas son of Thranduil_

The spirits were still as they watched the Valar. He observed the silent Legolas closely.

Many of the souls expected him to become angry, for no living soul save for the Valar themselves had ever dared pass the doors to the Halls of Waiting before. Suddenly the keeper of the Houses of the Dead smiled. "Man anírach cerin an le, tithen pen?" *What can I do for you, little one?

In answer, Legolas began singing once more, softly, telling of his love for the Marchwarden and his desire to be with him no matter the cost, and begging for the return of his beloved.

The spirits wept around him, with joy that one could love so much, and with sorrow that he had to suffer such torment. Many wondered of their own families, and friends. Had they suffered as the living Elf before them obviously had? It hurt to think that their loved ones would feel such pain, and that they were the cause of it.

Mandos, however, sat silent and unmoving, watching Legolas carefully and as emotionless as he could manage, despite the pearly tears rolling down from his eyes.

"Why do you sing, penneth?" Mandos asked after the song ended, paying no heed to the tears on his own face.

"Linnon am meleth vîn. I sing for Haldir." Legolas answered simply. _*I sing for our love_

"You wish me to return that which is now mine." Mandos said flatly.

Legolas looked on him with sorrowful eyes, and Námo was taken aback by the despair and desolation he saw in them, though he did not show it.

Námo felt a gentle hand on his arm, and turned to see his wife, Vaírë, watching him with tears rolling down her face. She spoke not, but she had no need; here eyes told him everything he needed to know. Legolas' lament was such that it was able to break even the hearts of the Valar.

The Valar turned back to the sorrowful young prince and said. "Go, leave this place."

Anguish filled Legolas' face, and a murmur ran through the crowd of dead souls. Silence fell once more as Mandos continued to speak. "Return to your home, Thranduilion. Your love will follow."

Legolas smiled, he truly and fully smiled, for the first time in monthes. All his happiness and gratitude poured out from his positively radiant smile, lighting up the hall as though some one had brought the shining moon into the room.

"However," Námo continued sternly, "You must not look upon your husband until you return to the realm of the living. Should you do this, Haldir will be brought back here, and there shall be no second chance. Avo acheno, Thranduilion," he warned sternly. _*Don't look back, son of Thranduil_

His smile blinding, Legolas nodded eagerly and bowed low before Mandos. "I cannot thank you enough," he said, and Námo and Vaírë smiled at the ecstatic Elf prince.

Legolas turned and left the Halls, his steps light, and he sang merrily now, eager to be reunited with his love once more. As he exited the halls, the light that his magical voice had brought faded again to the dull shimmer of the souls of the dead.

* * *

Legolas walked long and far, and he sang as he walked. However, not all was at peace within the Prince's mind.

His joyous voice had quieted somewhat as doubt began to knaw at his heart. He heard only the lightest of steps behind him, and he began to fear that he was imagining it. Was Haldir truly following him? If so, why did he not speak, if only to reassure Legolas he was there? Mandos had not said that Haldir could not speak to him as they walked, so why was he so silent? Legolas' song quieted to a soft hum before fading into nothing, and he quickened his pace.

His worried thoughts ran rampant, and many times Legolas almost chanced a glance behind him, but he stopped himself everytime. Before long, he could see the light of the Undying Lands ahead of him, and he could bear it no longer.

Legolas turned, and beheld before him the ghostly form of Haldir, who looked at him sorrowfully just as Námo appeared at his side once more.

"Remember our bargain, Thranduilion," the Valar said coldly.

"No, please! What have I done? Haldir!" Legolas dropped to his knees in horror as he realized what he had done. He had lost Haldir, not by death, but by his own lack of faith.

"Namárië, Legolas, meleth nin," he heard Haldir murmur. _*Farewell, Legolas, my love_

Then he was gone, and Legolas was alone. The Elf's anguished cry rose up to the heavens, and all was still around him, save for the rustling of the leaves on the trees in the wind.

"HALDIR!"

* * *

Legolas lay sobbing on the ground, curled in around himself, weeping bitterly, for many long hours.

He did not notice Mithrandir, Galadriel, Elrond, and Frodo appear on the path before him. They had heard his howl of pain and grief when Mandos bore away his love back to the halls, and had come to find him.

Legolas did not realize they were there until Gandalf took his face in his hands. The wizard searched his face while searching his mind at the same time, and the Elf said nothing, struggling not to cry. Gandalf suddenly pulled the Elf into an embrace, and Legolas sobbed anew, clutching desperately at the Istari's robes.

Frodo stood next to the pair, tears falling from his eyes as he beheld his heartbroken friend. Elrond and Galadriel stood back from the group, silent tears falling down their faces.

"He's gone, Mithrandir," Legolas sobbed, and Gandalf only tightened his hold. "Haldir is gone, and it is my fault! Ai, if only I would have trusted him – but I didn't! I looked, and now Haldir is gone forever! I have lost him!" Legolas' throat was tight, and he could speak no more.

Mithrandir held him as he sobbed, and when Legolas had no more tears to cry, the wizard pulled back from him, looking over the young Elf.

He smiled sadly at Legolas and placed a hand on the Elf's forehead "No in elenath hîlar nan hâd gîn, Legolas Thranduilion. Bado na Ennorath!" _*May all stars shine on your path, Legolas son of Thranduil. Go to Middle-earth!_

With those words, the Elf's eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and Legolas knew no more.

* * *

When Legolas woke, he found himself on the shores of the Anduin. His boat, battered by the sea, but still whole, was drawn up onto the beach next to him. Mithrandir had sent him home, and once more he was in the realm of Ithilien. Where he and Haldir had lived. Where they had wed. Where Haldir had died.

Legolas never found joy in Middle-earth again, and wandered the realm of Ithilien, lamenting his foolishness and the loss of his beloved Haldir.

Such power was held in his voice that the mournful ballads he now sang made even the stones at his feet weep, and wild beasts of all sizes and shapes sat near and cried. Legolas took comfort in nothing, and so wrought with grief was he, that he took no notice of the things around him.

One year to the day after Legolas' and Haldir's bonding and Haldir's death, Legolas found himself sitting in a tree on the banks of the river. Many beasts, including even some that were usually considered savage, lay curled up at the foot of the tree to listen to him sing, and many birds were perched on the branches around him. There was a pair of wolves, and a mountain lion, and a doe and her fawn, all lying together peacefully at the roots of the tree with small animals, rabbits and lizards and mice, surrounding them. Over in the waters of the Anduin, many fish and water creatures were gathered, otters and beavers laying stretched out on the sandy bird, a mourning dove, sat on the Elf's shoulder, cooing softly as it rubbed it's head up against the Elf's in an attempt to comfort him. A small housecat that had climbed up after the Elf was curled in his lap, purring softly, and Legolas petted the creature absently as he sang.

"_I still remember the way you looked at mewith that look in your eyesthat look that told me without wordsjust how much you caredthat you loved meundying loveforever and alwaysneverending_

_I've missed you these past monthesmissed the way you made me feelmissed that look in your eyesthe one that told me without speakingeverything I ever needed to hearthose undying words that still linger herelong after you've gone_

_I know somedayI'll find you againbut that day is distantand far awayand without you with meI am hollowbut for those wordssilently spoken via that look in your eyesThe ones that I feel everyday with a shiverwhispered in my soulin that spot where I can still yet find youbut I feel you slipping away from there as well_

_I sit and wait for my turn to pass throughthat heartwarming gate of welcoming deaththat awaits me somedaythat will lead me to youto follow in your footsteps_

_I know that I'll find you there somedaybut for now I waitremembering that look in you eyesthe one with those unspoken words _

_That brush along_

_My cursed still-beating heart_

_I know my time will come_

_and I pray it comes soonI know that you're gonefor now, anyway._

_I'll find my way to you again somedayuntil then, I waitwith my memories of youI'll see you thereand the memories will endas they give way to a new realityin which we are together once more."_

Perhaps it was fate, but one of the remaining bands of Orcs was rampaging through the woods in which Legolas dwelt on the morning of the anniversary of Haldir's death.

When they heard the monsterous creatures coming, the weeping beasts at the roots of the tree Legolas was sitting in fled in terror. The birds took to the sky, and the cat on Legolas' lap almost fell from the tree in her frantic efforts to escape. But Legolas did not move from his seat and just watched the approaching Orcs with dull disinterest, singing softly his lament.

The Orcs however, noticed the Elf with great interest. So black were their hearts, that the magic of Legolas' voice could not touch them, and they called to him to come down from his tree.

"Come down, pretty one!" they jeered, "We'll give you something to sing about!"

But Legolas looked away over the river, and ignored them. He cared not for the orcs, they could do as they wished. He was too full of grief and self-hatred to care anymore. Why, oh why did he look? What had possessed him? Haldir was gone, and it was all his fault.

This disinterest, however, was more than infuriating for the orcs at the base of the tree. A rage fell on the monsters, and two of them climbed the tree and ripped the elf from his perch, throwing him down to the others below.

Legolas did not fight them, even as they brutally attacked him. One them roughly shore off his hair, for the Orcs despise the beauty of the Elves, and take any chance to destroy it. Another slashed at the Elf's face with a knife, and yet another began to rain blows upon Legolas' body with his fists.

And yet he could not bring himself to care.

The Orcs set upon his body like a hawk on a rabbit, and when they were finished, they threw the broken body of Legolas Thranduilion into the Anduin and disappeared in the wild.

A silence fell over the Anduin, and the only sound that could be heard was Legolas' soft singing, the melodious haunting notes still falling from his dead lips as his body drifted downstream.

* * *

Aragorn stood silent before the grave. The rest of the Fellowship, as well as Faramir, Eowyn, Eomer, Arwen, Elladan, Elrohir, Rumil, and Orophin, stood beside him. All were silent as they paid their respects to their dead friend.

One morning not long ago Aragorn had found Rumil, Orophin, Elladan, and Elrohir, who were visiting, in one of the gardens at Minas Tirith. They all had been kneeling on the ground, weeping, and the trees surrounding them had been swaying and rustling in the wind.

"The trees are singing," Elrohir had said distantly, "He is gone, dead and gone, and even the trees lament his loss. Legolas is dead."

Legolas' body had drifted to the Mouths of Anduin, to the Bay of Belfalas, and when Aragorn and the others found his remains, they had returned him here, to Ithilien, and buried him next to his love.

"He would have wanted it this way, I think," Sam said, his voice cracking slightly, "To be at rest next to the Marchwarden."

Gimli hmphed moodily and shifted slightly, tears falling into his beard.

"He has gone now to the Halls of Mandos," Elladan said sadly.

"I pray that he may be reunited with his beloved there," Elrohir added. The others nodded.

Several moments of silence passed before the group began to disperse, and soon only Aragorn and Gimli were left next to Legolas' and Haldir's graves.

Gimli sniffled and wiped a tear away from his eye. He stood by Legolas' grave for a few more moments before starting to walk away. The Dwarf stopped and turned around to wait for Aragorn. "Come on, lad. He's at peace now. Crazy Elf's with his lover-boy."

Aragorn stepped forward a few steps and kneeled before Legolas' tombstone. He stretched out his hand and laid a single blossom, a white lily from the riverside of the Anduin, across the grave.

"Namárië, mellon-nin," Aragorn whispered, and smiled sadly, tears trickling down his face, before rising and joining Gimli.

A light breeze ruffled the petals of the lily, playing across Aragorn and Gimli's faces, and bringing with it the ghost of a soft laugh, followed by a soft voice singing joyously to the heavens.

* * *

_I'll sing it one last time for you_

_Then we really have to go_

_You've been the only thing that's right_

_In all I've done_

_And I can barely look at you_

_But every single time I do_

_I know we'll make it anywhere_

_Away from here_

_Light up, light up,_

_As if you have a choice,_

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you, dear._

_Louder, louder_

_And we'll run for our lives_

_I can hardly speak I understand_

_Why you can't raise your voice to say_

_To think I might not see those eyes_

_Makes it so hard not to cry_

_And as we say our long goodbye_

_I nearly do_

_Light up, light up_

_As if you have a choice_

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you, dear_

_Louder, louder_

_And we'll run for our lives_

_I can hardly speak I understand_

_Why you can't raise your voice to say_

_Slower, slower_

_We don't have time for that_

_All I want is to find an easier way_

_To get out of our little heads_

_Have heart, my dear_

_We're bound to be afraid_

_Even if it's just for a few days_

_Making up for all this mess_

_Light up, light up_

_As if you have a choice_

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you, dear_

* * *

Fin

I hope I made you cry, because that was what I was aiming for!

Just to clear up any confusion, Mandos and Námo are the same person, just different names.

By the Valar, the wedding scene was difficult! In case you were curious, I came up with it myself, without referencing any form of marriage or binding ceremonies.

The song at the very end is called 'Run', and is by the amazing band Snow Patrol.

The other songs were in fact written by me. I know most people steal lyrics, myself included, but I felt like doing something different. So I wrote these songs. The wedding song is titled "Meleth-Nin", which is Sindarin for My Love. The song Legolas sings just before the orcs find and kill him is a modified version of a poem I wrote a while back, and is called "A Last Lament for the Lost." Yes they are crap, but they are my crap, and if you steal any of them without my permission I shall hunt you down and feed you to my kitty.

Speaking of the songs, does anyone know of a good Sinadarin translater I could use to write the songs down in Elvish and see how they sound? 'Cause I don't speak enough to translate them, and I want to know how they sound so I can come up with a melody and everything to match the lyrics. I'd also like to see what the Snow Patrol song I stole sounds like. Can you imagine how beautiful 'Run' would be sung in Sindarin? _Swoon_…I **must** find a translator!

Hannon le for reading!

Namárië, mellyn-nin!

–Happycabbage


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